Artist Statement
I enjoy painting with water media paints such as watercolor, gouache and INK on paper. I visualize a work that is inspired by looking at the world of my surroundings. I go through the steps to create a work in my mind before I actually paint. As I work I watch the media as it moves, blends and create washes. The INKS are created with sumie brushes and quils . I make my own quils out of dried out corn stalks that I pick from corn fields in Bucks County PA. The INK work is spontaneous, effortless and happens quickly. They are made with a Zen approach to painting and drawing. I enjoy watercolor because it is applied transparently or opaque and can be combined with other mediums like gouache. Gouache paints are opaque , dry quickly and I work in layers with it.
As I draw, paint and compose, I break up and divide the picture plane. Elements of design, such as line, shape, color and form are emphasized for expression. My process includes layering the water media pigments and black INK, creating values, glazes, opaques and transparencies. I observe what the media will or will not do. I would classify my style simply as contemporary and expressive.
It is essential for artistic development to paint from direct observation. What an artist sees in the natural world with her eyes teaches the artist how to visualize, and gives her a better understanding of light, form and composition. I worked in watercolor from direct observation for a very long time, rarely if ever using photography as a source. My favorite method of painting was always en plein air. As a result, I am particularly drawn to the landscape. Light and the sounds of nature inspire me and uplift me. Light and shadow create forms in the real and natural world and as time moves on those forms change. I have to work quickly and effectively when I work en plein air .
When New Jersey winters set in and frigid temperatures make it difficult to work en plein air , I began referencing my own photos so I could continue working all year round. I began traveling outside of New Jersey and into NYC to photograph the urban landscape. The photos record the light and shadow of a particular moment in time. I work from a greyscale photo image and create a color palette of my own. I base my color choices and values from the values found in the greyscale image. I do not copy a color photo directly and omit things from the photos to simplify my compositions and to avoid crowded areas in the work. Combining my own photographs of places I visit with my memory of direct observations of the natural world and my experiences with plein air painting has had a positive effect on the way I create, compose and develop my palette.
Every work of art has something to say and the impact of a work is mostly successful by the form it takes. The content and subject matter of a work is secondary to the form but the form will enhance the content and subject of a work and give it life.
PRESS:
Bucks County Herald, "SFA Holiday Invitational is all about Inclusion,"
December, 2016.
The Star Ledger, In the Towns section,
Sharon Sheridan, “Peaceful Art Balances an Eventful Life,”
Thursday, October 11, 2001.
Hunterdon Review, “Ken Lockwood Gorge Inspires High Bridge Artist,”
Jon Marcin, Wednesday, September 1, 2004